Finding Home

Chapter Two

         Kyle Connelly had been in a few fights in his day, but he didn’t expect it from his sixteen-year-old cousin.  Logan was the one hope out of the Gregg clan of eleven kids, all who had let their no-good parents make them into no-good adults.
         But, Logan, under the guiding wing of the amazing Kapshaws was destined for a better life.  Kyle didn’t like the sulking Logan that sat in the passenger side of his car right now.
         “So,” Kyle offered, finally breaking the long silence from the high school out to the edge of town.  “Want to tell me why you’re suspended for the next few days, or are you just going to sulk about it.”
         “It wasn’t my fault,” Logan muttered, his sharp chin a determined jut.  “Those teachers all think I’m bad news all ‘cause of my family.  I didn’t start the damn fight.”
         “Well I don’t give a damn who started the damn fight, you gotta be the bigger man.  Those teachers think you’re nothing, well you’re just proving their point.”
         Outraged, Logan finally looked his cousin in the eye.  “Kyle, the guy jumped me.  I had to protect myself!  Those teachers just assumed it was me who jumped him.  Evie even told them what happened and they just rolled their eyes.  I can’t help what they think of me.  It’s not fair, but I can’t change it.”
         “Maybe you can’t and maybe they do think you’re nothing.  Do Mr. and Mrs. Kapshaw think you’re nothing?”
         “No,” Logan grumbled.
         “Does Evie think you’re nothing?”
         “No.”
         He took his free hand and gave Logan a rap on the head.  “Do I think you’re nothing?”
         Logan couldn’t hide the smile that snuck out.  “Guess not.”
         “You’ve had your share of nothing, Logan, true enough, but you’ve got an army of people behind you.  You can’t give me the excuse those teachers don’t give you any credit.  Maybe they don’t, but you’ve got to show them you’re better than that.”
         “It’s not fair.”
         “No, it isn’t.  Life isn’t fair.  But, it’s not exactly fair that Mrs. Kapshaw and Mr. Kapshaw, after everything they’ve done for you, have to find out that you were in a fight at school.”
         “We don’t have to tell them,” Logan offered hopefully.
         “Even if we didn’t, Evie likely would.  But, besides the point, a man stands up and admits when he makes a mistake, even if it means disappointing the people you love.  Mr. K will have some pretty gruesome chores around the farm for you to do while you’re suspended.”
         Logan grinned.  “I like the gruesome chores, that’s why I’m going to have a farm just like the Kapshaws.”
         Kyle smiled.  It might not have been the path he would have picked for a kid as smart and talented as Logan, but the kid loved farming.  So, Kyle supposed it wasn’t such a bad road to go down.
         “Do I really have to tell Laney?  I hate it when she’s disappointed in me.  She’s got the best guilt trip in town.”
         Kyle laughed.  “Maybe that guilt trip will teach you to walk away when some moron tries to pick a fight.  Got it?”
         “Yeah, yeah.  Thanks for picking me up, Kyle.”
         “No problem, kid.”
         Kyle pulled his new pickup truck into the Kapshaw drive, wincing slightly as the gravel dinged the undercarriage.  It was part of small town life, but it was one of the things he was having trouble readjusting to after living in city areas for the past eight years.
         Nevertheless, Lilac Grove was home and he was glad to be back.  He’d always dreamed of owning and running his own company and once he’d gotten the opportunity he saw no better place to headquarter it than Lilac Grove.  He wanted to be home with his family and the town he’d grown up in.  Especially if it meant helping Logan stay on the right track.
         “I hope she doesn’t get all worked up about it,” Logan muttered hopping out of the truck.  “She’s going to flip out about the black eye.”
         “That’s what women do best.”
         Logan grinned.  The grin turned directly to a frown when they reached the front door.  “I don’t want her to be upset.”
         “I know, kid, but you gotta own up to it.”
         “All right.”  He stuck out his hand and rang the doorbell.  Kyle couldn’t help but feel proud of Logan and the way he was willing to stand up for this mistake.  He didn’t know many sixteen-year-olds who would do the same, including his self at that age.
         Mrs. Kapshaw opened the door already looking a little teary-eyed.  Kyle hoped that wouldn’t spell doom for Logan’s punishment.
         “Baby, what happened?”  Mrs. Kapshaw was cupping Logan’s face before the door had even completely opened.
         “Um, well, I kind of…” Logan looked back at Kyle for reassurance.  At Kyle’s nod, he looked back at Mrs. Kapshaw.
         “I got in a fight.  I’m sorry.”
         Mrs. Kapshaw pulled Logan into a tight hug.  “What an idiotic thing to do!”  She kissed the top of his head.  “Come inside.  Let’s put some ice on it.”
         “I’ll just-”
         “You’ll come inside too, Kyle,” Mrs. Kapshaw ordered in her motherly way.  “I haven’t barely seen you or caught up with you since you’ve been back.”
         “Yes, ma’am.”
         Kyle stepped into the Kapshaw farm.  He’d spent pieces of his childhood in this house, playing with Doug while their mothers got together and talked about whatever women talked about, and when he was in high school Mr. Kapshaw had hired him to fix things around the farm.
         Now, everything looked smaller, but it still had the homey feel of a place filled with love.  That the Kapshaw home had always been, much like his own home.  Grimly Kyle observed Logan, his parents had never given him those things.  Kyle was so grateful that the Kapshaw had been able to offer it.
         “Boys, this is Deborah.  Deborah, this is Kyle Connelly and his cousin Logan Gregg.  Deborah is my niece,” Laney offered with a proud smile.
         “Mark or Steven’s?  I thought I’d met all of the Kapshaw clan.” Kyle asked offering a charming smile.  He was sure he would have remembered someone as stunningly gorgeous as that being a member of the Kapshaw family.
         Laney exchanged a worried look with the woman seated at the table.  She was willowy and dark her green eyes matching the Kapshaw clans but seeming exotic on her elegant face.
         “Actually, I’m Gabe’s other brother’s daughter.”
         Laney smiled reassuringly at the woman.  “You never met Roger, Kyle.  He moved away before Gabe and I were even married.  He passed away a few years ago.”
         “I’m sorry to hear that,” Kyle offered.
         Deborah shrugged obviously uncomfortable with the subject.  As Mrs. Kapshaw tended to Logan’s black eye, Kyle decided to spark a conversation with the pretty Kapshaw niece.
         “So, where are you from?  I haven’t met you, so you must not have been able to visit much.”
         “Something like that.  I’m from Detroit.”
         “No kidding?  Lived there for about two years myself.”
         “Oh.  Whereabouts?”
         He had a feeling the question was completely out of politeness, as she didn’t even attempt to feign interest, but he wouldn’t let that stop him.  He flashed a charming grin.  “Right in the heart of things.  I was working on the renovation of James Hall.”
         He saw just a hint of curiosity light in her expression and ran with it.  “I was mainly on the construction crew.”
         “You guys did a great job with it.  I love that building.”
         “It was a great project to be a part of.”
         Not one for silence, comfortable or otherwise, Kyle continued attempts at engaging her in conversation.  “What do you do in Detroit?”
         “I’m a lawyer.”
         Kyle nodded.  He knew absolutely nothing about law.  She certainly wasn’t making it easy on him.  “Been to Comerica?”
         “A few times.”  Deborah smiled and Kyle figured he might have found some common ground after all.  “It’s pretty cool.”
         “I guess—I prefer to the classic stadiums.  Wrigley, Fenway.”
         “Falling apart, out of date,” Deborah added, just a hint of humor in her tone.
         “It’s called history.”
         “I hear that history sometimes falls on people’s heads.”
         Kyle chuckled.  “Exaggerated, but I suppose it might happen.  That’s why we renovate.  In fact, that’s my business… making the old new again.”
         “Well, that’s very unique,” Deborah offered.  “Can’t say as I’ve met anyone in renovation before.”
         “Kyle really does have a knack for it.  The Benton Place is absolutely beautiful.  You couldn’t have picked a better place for your first project Kyle.  It’s really going to start your business, everyone’s talking about it.”  Mrs. Kapshaw finished tending Logan’s eye and moved to cleaning up some dishes from lunch.
         “Logan, Gabe’s out on the east pasture,” Laney continued without missing a beat.  “Go find him, explain what happened, and get some chores done.  You won’t be sitting around doing nothing while you’re out of school, that’s for sure.  You can come in around three when Evie’s home and she’ll catch you up… in the living room.”
         “Yes, ma’am.”
         Kyle had to stifle a chuckle at the addition to the punishment.  Logan had mentioned Mr. Kapshaw walking in on a make out session between the two teenagers and hadn’t appreciated Kyle’s amusement at the fiasco.
         “How many days is he out?” Mrs. Kapshaw asked once Logan was outside.
         “Five.”
         “I suppose you’ve already given a lecture.”
         “Yes, more won’t hurt though.”
         Mrs. Kapshaw shook her head as she ran the dishes through the water.  “Such a good boy.”
         “It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for a sixteen-year-old boy.  I think he’s learned his lesson.  Three days of chores and having to catch up in school should keep him out of trouble.”
         “Boys.  I’d practically forgotten all the problems boys cause after having gone through the four girls.”
         “Girls are just little angels,” Kyle teased, earning a reproachful but humored look from Mrs. Kapshaw.
         “Well,” Kyle reluctantly stole one last look at the gorgeous Kapshaw niece.  “I should be going.  Got a meeting.  We’re about ready to close a deal on about a third of Main Street.  We’re going to renovate it, hopefully get some businesses back in town.”
         “Oh, that would be wonderful for the town, Kyle.  Good luck.”
         “Thanks!  Nice meeting you Deborah.  See you around, I hope.”
         Kyle left the Kapshaw home feeling better about Logan.  They’d take care and he would learn his lesson.  Mr. and Mrs. Kapshaw could do more to see to that as a united front than Kyle felt he had the power to do.
         Kyle surveyed his truck, trying not to wince at the gavel dust collecting around the tires and in the bed.  “Can’t stay new forever,” he muttered to himself, hoping if he said it enough he’d start to believe it.  He circled the truck, inspecting the tires for damage.
         Just when he’d satisfied himself with the state of his truck, Deborah walked out the front door.
         He hadn’t noticed it inside, but out in the natural light she seemed pale and… shaken almost.  He offered a wave even as he seemed to startle her.
         “I’ll be out of your way in a second,” he said, gesturing to the sleek sedan he’d parked behind.  “Just had to make sure my baby was okay.”
         She smiled, but there was definitely a weariness to the expression.  “You’re fine.”
         He circled to the driver’s side, not taking his eyes off her as she looked over the frosty hills of the farm.
         “Real pretty out here, isn’t it?”
         She looked back at him as if she weren’t expecting him to still be there.  “Yes.”
         He chuckled.  “I hope I’ll see you around, Deborah.”  He offered a wink.  “If you ever need someone to show you around town, just call me up.”  He pulled a business card out of his back pocket and handed it to her.
         He tried to stifle a laugh at the look of shock on her face as she gingerly took the card from his outstretched hand.
         “Mr. -“
         “Kyle.”
         “Look, that’s very nice and all, I guess, but…” She trailed off merely shaking her head as she looked at the card.
         “For a lawyer you sure don’t talk a lot.  Taking the card is not promising anything.  It’s an invitation that if you ever feel like taking up, you dial the number.  Otherwise, you throw away the card and talk about the weirdo who hit on you at your aunt’s house.”  Kyle shrugged, still grinning.  “I’m sure I’ll see you around either way.”
         He waved and hopped into the truck.  “Bye Deb.”  At the dazed expression on her face, he merely laughed.  Nothing was more fun than confusing a gorgeous woman.  Well, maybe not nothing.